Chicago Bears Mock: Trade these 3 players to load up on 2021 draft picks

We’ve taken several approaches to how the Chicago Bears can have a successful NFL Draft this year. Many of these mock drafts involve trading up for quarterbacks, finding star-caliber offensive linemen, and even trading back for more picks. But with the teams’ current cap space at roughly $1,547,428, could we see some Bears veteran players traded away as well?

The Bears roster has some glaring needs in it. While getting rid of more players seems counter-productive, the team isn’t in a great position financially. Simply put, they can’t afford to keep all their tenured players on. They don’t even have enough money to sign their upcoming rookie class.

Tough decisions were already made this year when the Bears cut Kyle Fuller. More are likely to come, but what if the Bears could get something out of these transactions? The potential to load up on more draft assets could really benefit the team in the long haul, especially if the Ryan Pace/Matt Nagy era ends after the 2021 season. A new general manager and head coach would be arriving at a roster full of young players that have loads of potential.

Trading these three Bears veteran players for 2021 draft picks

In this mock scenario, the following players get traded for draft capital in this year’s draft. I made these trades based on similar deals done at the respective positions, the value each player brings, and the total cap space created.

These three moves save the Bears a total of $13,043,382 in cap space, while also receiving roughly $7,000,000 in dead cap, according to Spotrac. There will likely be more moves made to create cap space, but these trades allow the Bears to gain something out of it.